1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to cargo boxes and more particularly to a cargo box for an overland vehicle particularly suited for use in transporting compacted, bulk refuse.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art is replete with cargo boxes for vehicles employed in transporting bulk cargo, such as refuse, in compacted configurations. Among the cargo boxes heretofore employed in transporting bulk cargo, such as refuse and the like, are pivotal dump boxes supported in a manner which facilitates a discharge of its contents through a tipping of the box, and bottom dump boxes which open along the bottom thereof for permitting the contents to gravitate vertically.
Currently, substantial attention is being devoted to the disposal of refuse such as rubbage and similar materials in non-burning modes. Among the various techniques now being employed in the disposal of refuse, is that of employing refuse in land-fill projects wherein refuse is used to fill ravines, washes and the like and then covered over for purposes of reclaiming the land for other uses.
Of course, land-fill projects normally entail a delivery of great quantities of refuse to areas remote from a center of refuse collection. Therefore, it is common practice to employ vehicles equipped with relatively large cargo boxes capable of transporting loads of suitable proportions from collection centers to land-fill projects remote from the collection centers.
Since the bulk to mass ratio of refuse is substantially greater than the bulk to mass ratio of other types of cargo, such as gravel and the like, it is possible to transport large quantities of refuse employing vehicles equipped for highway operations. Therefore, elongated cargo boxes mounted on semi-trailer suspension systems have been employed in transporting refuse from collection centers to land-fill projects.
Designers of such vehicles continuously have been plagued by problems related to the unloading of such vehicles. For example, in order for a vehicle of the type hereinbefore mentioned to fulfill existing needs, it is necessary that the vehicle possess a capability of depositing loads in precise locations within time periods of minimal durations. Moreover, the discharge of contents must be complete in order to avoid excessive labor costs in sweeping-out the cargo box. Unfortunately, the principles often employed in the design of dump boxes cannot be applied, simply because of the length of the cargo box tends to prohibit a use of pivotal dump boxes and the bulk of the loads tends to prohibit a use of bottom-dump systems. In those instances where conveyors extended along the bottom of a cargo box have been proposed for rearwardly discharging contents from a cargo box, damage to the conveyors has been experienced in view of excessive stress developed by loads applied thereto as the conveyors are advanced through relatively long distances in order to effectively discharge the contents.
Moreover, a great deal of difficulty has been encountered in completely discharging loads of refuse in time periods of minimal duration utilizing conveyors extended along the floor of cargo boxes. Additionally, since refuse normally includes relatively large, heavy fragments of materials such as broken concrete, tree trunks and the like, a conveyor situated along the bottom of a cargo box is subjected to destructive impact as loads of refuse are delivered thereto from loading vehicles.
Damage to conveyors, of course, can and often do result in substantial loss of operational time. Due to the economic investment in rolling-stock, time lost in performing repairs imposes a substantial economic burden on those paying for transport services.
Finally, it is desirable for a refuse vehicle to possess the capabilities for rapid and complete discharge of contents in order to reduce labor costs and turn-around time.
It is, therefore, the general purpose of the instant invention to provide an improved cargo box particularly suited for use in effectively and economically transporting refuse from collection centers, normally located in urban areas, to remote areas at which refuse disposal is completed, such as in areas at which reclamation through land-fill projects is being achieved.